Automatic car-axle lubricator.



NITE Srnrns .atraer erica PIERPONT T. LANGDON, OF AUDUBON, MINNESOTA.

AUToMATIo CAR-AXLE LuemCA-roa.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,277, dated J une 26, 1900.

Application filed October 21, 1899. Serial No. 734,348. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, PIERPONT T. LANGDON, ofAudubon, in the county of Becker and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and lmproved Automatic Car-Axle Luhricator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates tov means for automatically lubricating the journals of car-axles while in motion, and has for its object to provide a device of the indicated character which is of novel, simple, and practical construen tion, which Vis adapted for general use, as the improvement may be applied within ordinary aXle-boXes to lubricate the axle-journals therein, and which is very reliable and effective in service.

This invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described,and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formin ga part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure lis a side elevation of a canaxle in part, a car-wheel thereon, and an axle-box on the axle formed to adapt it to carry the improved lubricating device. Fig. 2 is a front side view of the axle-box and other details shown in Fig. l, seen in the direction of the arrow .fr in said ligure. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of the axle-box, a car-axle, a wheel in part, and the improved lubricating device within the axle-box and engaging the journal of the axle; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the improvement, taken substantially on the line 4. 4 in Fig. 3.

In the drawings that illustrate the construction and application of the invention, 5 represents an end portion of an ordinary caraXle, 6 a car-wheel iiXed thereon, and 7 one journal of the car-axle extending exteriorly 0f the car-wheel to receive the supporting-box S, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

In the shell 8 of the axle-box a bearing-brass 9, of usual form, is held in position, so as to engage with the upper side of the journal 7 and afford rotatable support thereto. A cupped carrier-disk l0 is secured upon the axle body or journal within the shell or box 8, and the forwardly-extended edge of said disk may overhang the adjacent end of the bearing-brass 9, as shown in Fig. 3.

On the forward end of the axle-journal 7 a circular cap-plate l1 is mounted and secured, a peripheral flange a thereon projecting rearwardly. The cap-plate 1l is of such a relative diameter as will permit the flange a thereon to be suitably spaced from the bearing-brass 9 and revolve around the outer end thereof when the car-axle is rotating.

An oil-holding trough 12, formed of sheet metal or other suitable material, is an essential feature of the invention and consists .of a preferably concave bottomed receptacle, from which extend upwardly the side walls b. (Shown clearly in Fig. 4.) The trough 12 is proportioned in length so as to permit it to loosely occupy the space intervening the carrier-disk lO and flanged cap-plate `ll, as shown in Fig. 3, and the diameter of the curved lower portion of said trough is su'fliciently greater than that of the journal 7 to afford an annular space between said parts when the trough is in position for service, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. The side walls b project above the bearing-brass 9 in the form of parallel flanges and are notched laterally, as at c, to adord a hook member c on each ange, which hooks may pass over the periphery of the cap-plate ll if the flange a thereon is introduced within the notches c, as shown for one flange ZJ in Fig. 3. Below the notches c in the flanges Z) a scraper-blade d is formed or secured upon each flange b, and said blades d are so positioned that they will bear with one edge thereof upon the inner surface of the cap-plate l1 directly below the flange c of said cap-plate when the hooks c have engagement with the periphery of the latter. Directly below the scraper-blades d on each flange b of the trough l2 an outwardly-inclined guide-flange e is formed, a slit g being provided between each scraperblade and guide-flange, as shown in Fig. 4..

In placing the trough 12 below the journal 7 the rear end of the trough is introduced within the concavity of the disk 10, sothat the lower edge of the trough will seat upon the forwardly-extended rim edge of the disk, and then the flange a of the cap-plate 11 is entered within the notches c of the flanges b on the trough, and to effect the latter in a IOO convenient manner the cap-plate may be rendered removable and securable by a setsc-rew, as shown in Fig. 3.

A suitable lubricant A in liquid form is placed in the box 8 in sufficient quantity to immerse the anged edge of the cap-plate 1l therein, as shown in Fig. 3, and in operation as the journal end 7 is rapidly rotated the trough 12 will swing slightly on the supporting devices at itstends. The inner surface of the cap-plate 1l becomes coated with the liquid lubricant, which is carried up by the flange a and continuously scraped from the cap-plate by the scraper-blades d and flows down over the guide-flanges e and through the slits g into the trough 12.

It will be seen that by the construction of the improved lubricating device herein described a reliable automatic lubrication of the axle-journals is continuously effected while the car-axles are rotated.

The device is extremely simple, easy to manufacture, and may be supplied to cars having axles and boxes therefor of ordinary construction at a moderate cost.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A car axle lubricator, comprising a trough in the axle-box, having two flanges exaXle or journal thereof at the inner end of said journal, one end of the trough seating upon the laterally-bent edge of said disk, a cap-plate havinga iianged edge and securable upon the outer end of the aXle-journal,hooks on the anges of the trough which loosely engage with the peripheral edge of the capplate, a scraper-blade on each upright fiange of the trough adapted to contact with the inner face of the cap-flange, and aguide-lange on each trough-flange below a slit which intervenes between said guide and an adjacent scraper-blade.

PIERPONT T. LANGDON.

Vitnesses:

ANDREW A. NETLAND, FRANK E. GUNDERsoN. 

